Moon-bathing in Callubri Station, Central West NSW: Getting naked under the stars is the ultimate in romance

Callubri Station owners Angie and Mike Armstrong have rigged up a splendid antique rustic version of moon-bathing using an old truck trailer in a wildly overgrown paddock.

We're done with sunbathing, we've tried forest-bathing but now for the next big thing: moon-bathing.

Of course, the unimaginative might dismiss it as simply having a bath at night outdoors. But to us romantics, it's more, far more. It's the chance to get naked in scented warm water, staring up at the moon and a set of stars shining more brightly than we've ever seen them before, and just breathe in the tranquillity of being in the middle of nowhere.

"This could really catch on," my friend says, running the water, ready to hop in. "I hope so," I reply. "This feels truly heavenly."

The accommodation at Callubri Station is quirky, built from old shipping containers but luxuriously fitted out, and extremely comfortable.

Because sinking back in warm suds, with your eyes on the sky, must be one of the most relaxing and meditative activities ever invented. And we haven't started on the iced champagne and snacks.

It's the latest attraction at one of Australia's most intriguing farm stays, Callubri Station in Central West NSW, where owners Angie and Mike Armstrong have rigged up a splendid antique rustic version of moon-bathing using an old truck trailer in a wildly overgrown paddock.

Two bathtubs are placed here, side-by-side, with a corrugated iron water tank to fill them. They are lit at night with a glittery chandelier until it comes time to rely solely on the glow from the silvery moon. The scene is carefully set under a dome of fine mesh gauze to allow for both the best moon-viewing and sanctuary from any insects who'd like to join.

It's hard to think of a more romantic evening.

"We just wanted to think of ways of giving our guests the best experience of nature out here we could," says Angie, who married into the fourth generation of the family who cleared and turned the land into a thriving place to farm sheep, wheat and, lately, tourists. "And we find they love it.

"You're out there completely alone, looking up at the moon and the stars, and you can really appreciate the serenity and peace of the country. For people from the city, it's proving very popular."

It's just one of the pastimes offered during a stay at a property that's a working merino sheep and arable farm first, and very much a boutique tourism concern second.

That means visitors – and there's a maximum of 10 allowed at any one time – can do as little or as much as they'd like.

Guests are welcome to immerse themselves in the day-to-day life of the 11,500-hectare property between Nyngan and Tottenham, helping out with the 12,000 sheep or taking part in the harvest sitting in big farm machinery, with different activities scheduled for different times of year, according to the seasons.

With so much antique farm equipment stored in various sheds and paddocks from bygone times, including the wagons in which Michael's great-grandfather and family originally travelled in the 1880s from Albury to settle here, it's a fascinating glimpse into what that life was really like back then, and how hard it can be now.

Alternatively, guests can opt to just relax, and spend time swinging in the hammocks on the verandahs of the rooms, swimming in the pool, walking through the country or just lounging, watching the myriad birds swooping around and listening to the rhythm of the land.

Either way, conditions are nowhere near as harsh as for Michael's forebears. The accommodation is quirky, built from old shipping containers but luxuriously fitted out, and extremely comfortable.

Angie, who worked with food in her previous life, cooks with much of the produce grown on the property itself, a true paddock-to-plate venture. "Mike grows the food, and I cook it," she says.

Meals, smokos and drinks are all served in the historic shearers' quarters, complete with music from an antique record player.

And how do you get there? You can drive, of course, or you can fly, to make an easy quick break from the city.

Then, that very day you arrive, you can gently lower yourself into those soft suds out back of beyond and look up and gaze at the stars and moon that have never before looked so brilliant, so dazzling and quite so wondrous.

THE DETAILS

FLY OR DRIVE

Self-drive or fly to Dubbo with Rex or Qantas and drive 160 kilometres to Callubri Station, or take a charter flight to nearest towns Nyngan or Tottenham, that comes as a package with two nights' accommodation.

STAY

Minimum of two nights' stay at $795 a person a night inclusive of all meals. The package with charter flight is via Crooked Compass for a minimum of eight people from $4870 a person. There's also a long lunch trip for $1815 a person.

MORE

callubristation.com.au; crookedcompassbyair.com; visitnsw.com

Sue Williams was a guest of Crooked Compass, Callubri Station and Destination NSW.